September can it be!?

I can't believe it's September! I've obviously let way too many things get in my way, because so much of the year has gone by and I'm still not completely back on track. Still I am making progress, and eating better and better as we jell into this new thing called public school with my boys. It's been stressful and chaotic and I have yet to find that elusive extra down time every one seems to think happens when your kids are in school. I'm thinking yeah well the house work, and work work still piling up on me. Only now my clock ticks to rules and regulations of the school day.
Still it's different and better in some respects. I see some important changes in my boys as they learn to cope with things that are new to them. At this point they are old enough to handle these events and pressures w/o loosing themselves and who they are meant to be. Raising authentic children has always been part of my goal as a parent. Having them be the people they should be instead of molded by forces people just assume are the 'norm'. I don't accept the 'norm' because I believe people are very short sighted, and often aren't even in touch with how much things have slid down hill in this world. Anyhow... that's a whole other blog I've never started. ha! ;-)

Food! What have I been doing? Well making it easier that's what! I have been keeping it simple. In some respects too simple, because I've lived on a bit too much natural peanut butter and grained bread some weeks. Fast & easy is tempting most days.

Still I've been finding ways around my dinner time needs. My men are not vegan and they are hungry big time at the end of the day. So I do things like make spaghetti but keep everything separate so that everyone can take what they want and need.

See four pots, meat in the back, pasta, sauce, and then veggie pot with zucchini and portobello mushrooms, oions and garlic. This way myself and my daughter can easily skip the meat, but I'm making one dinner. :-) This method is working out well. Tonight I made two pots of soup, a meat soup and a veggie soup. The men sometimes try me and my daughter veggie meals and sometimes not.

Today my daughter made chickpea kale salad, in the food processor. Now this is a REALLY yummy spread for a sandwich and it makes me feel calm and energetic. One of the changes we have made is to buy canned beans. All the soaking and such just wasn't happening anymore and I would soak, forget, sour, toss, or manage to cook them but forget they were on the stove, see the pattern. ugh We make sure though to be BPA free CANS! (check out both of those links helpful info for you with plastic as well).

This has really helped keep me going. I have been falling down on all the food prep needed to be a healthy vegan. My daughter is so great she always makes enough for both of us if she cooks. We have been working apart, but also trying to keep each other going. She is doing WAY better than me, she has been totally vegan since the beginning.

Me I'm still trying to get motivated to total commitment. I'm proud of myself though, I've had lots of hurdles and I'm going going going till I get back to being organized enough to do this all the way every meal again.

One last note my favorite breakfast right now is short grain brown organic rice, dried apricot, umboshi plum, walnuts, and parsley. All these flavors mixed together in the am is so good. I feel good for a long time after a bowl. I am still fiting in miso soup here and there I have to be careful though because it sets off my IC if I'm already stressed. Honestly when am I not stressed!? sheesh.

Oh I guess I need to make one more personal note on things going on with me. I had a bad accident at age 17. The damage to my neck has never been fully addressed. The past month I've been having treatments that have taken me through and beyond places I never thought I would get past with the limitations it has placed me on more than half my life now. I know I'll always have residual effects, but I have regained so much feeling and range of motion having finally the soft tissue issues worked on. This though has been time consuming, painful and required of me to take all the down time I could steal from my weeks. It's paid off though! My doc is thrilled with my progress, I've really surprised her with how far and how fast I've progressed. Me I'm just ever grateful she had the courage and back ground to tackle these old injuries with me. :-)

Anyhow.... more food will come. I'm getting there!